China’s envoy tells Trudeau to avoid further feud as Canada mulls public inquiry into alleged Beijing meddling in elections
- Ambassador Cong Peiwu said Ottawa should consider returning to a more independent foreign policy rather than following the lead of ally Washington
- He also reiterated Beijing has never meddled in Canadian internal affairs, saying ‘some people here are using this hyped-up issue to slander China’s image’
“We would like to see the relationship back on track, but it’s up to the Canadian side to make sure that they will correct mistakes and not to be engaged in any further provocation or confrontation,” Cong said in an interview.
Cong spoke for nearly 30 minutes inside the opulent Chinese embassy in Ottawa, which opened in the early 1970s after Trudeau’s father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. The US didn’t establish formal diplomatic ties with China until 1979.
When the US ended its case against Meng and the “two Michaels” were released from prison in 2021, Cong said he hoped at the time the Canadian government would “draw lessons” from the dispute.
“Unfortunately, this time they still did something to provoke us and undermine the relationship,” he said.
02:19
China retaliates against Canada by ordering Shanghai-based Canadian diplomat to leave
